Oregon legislators are working to move up legal pot sales, Pennsylvania's long-stalled medical marijuana bill moves under pressure, the state will also move to address asset forfeiture reform, and Global Anti-Drug day sparks death sentences in China, protests around the world. 

[image:1 align:left caption:true]Marijuana Policy

Key Oregon Committee Approves Early Marijuana Sales. Marijuana becomes legal in Oregon next week, but the state Liquor Control Commission says it will take until the second half of 2016 for it to be ready to allow pot shops to open. The legislature thinks that's too long, and Thursday, members of the House-Senate marijuana committee voted to approve a measure that would allow sales to begin October 1. Buyers would be limited to a quarter-ounce of buds per day, and they could also buy seeds and clones, but edibles or concentrates wouldn't be allowed. The measure must still pass the legislature and be signed into law to go into effect.

Rhode Island Legislative Session Ends, But Legalization Bill Still Alive. The session recessed Thursday, but a marijuana legalization bill, Senate Bill 510, remains alive because lawmakers have signaled they may call a special session to deal with pending bills

Medical Marijuana

Pennsylvania House Health Committee Unanimously Approves Medical Marijuana Bill. The House Health Committee voted unanimously today to approve Senate Bill 3, which would allow seriously ill Pennsylvanians to access medical marijuana with recommendations from their doctors. The bill will now go to the House Rules Committee for further consideration. The bill had been bottled up by the committee chair, but a vote was allowed after Rep. Nick Miccarelli (R-Ridley Park) filed a discharge petition that would have put it before the House for a floor vote. The bill passed the Senate in May.

Asset Forfeiture

Pennsylvania Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Push Coming. A bipartisan group of lawmakers joined a coalition of conservatives and civil libertarians this week to push for a legislative overhaul of the state's civil asset forfeiture laws. The coalition is known as Fix Forfeiture. "Asset forfeiture can be a critical tool for law enforcement to combat criminal activity," said Holly Harris, Fix Forfeiture’s senior project director. "But it’s also a tool that can be abused, entangling innocent property owners with the costly and often bizarre task of having to prove their property ‘innocent’ of criminal activity. Fix Forfeiture will work with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to pass the reform legislation introduced by Sen. Folmer and Rep. Cox to ensure the property and due process rights of innocent citizens are protected." That legislation is Senate Bill 869.

International

On the UN's Global Anti-Drug Day, Civil Society Fights Back. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today released its 2015 World Drug Report as the organization marked the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, but civil society groups around the world used the occasion to take to the streets to demand an end to the global drug prohibition regime. Click on the link for much more.

Vancouver's Cannabis Day Will Go On Despite City's Wishes. Marc and Jodi Emery, the long-time organizers of Vancouver's July 1 Cannabis Day celebrations, say the event will go despite a cease and desist letter from the city. The event needs to be permitted, the city says. "People say get a permit that is not something we’ve done for 21 years, you can’t issue a permit for people to sell pot and smoke marijuana all day, there is no permit that allows that," Emery rejoined.

China Sentences 13 Drug Offenders to Death in Public Rally. A crowd of 10,000 in Lufeng in the southern province of Guangdong watched as Chinese officials sentenced 13 drug traffickers to death and 8 more to suspended death sentences. The sentences came on the UN's International Anti-Drug Day amid a Chinese campaign to rally support for crime crackdowns.